Mom vs. The Stomach Bug
Valentine's day meant a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese and had a homeschool Valentine's Day party. And no school. How much fun was that?
The germs must've been flying at one or both of those events because 48 hours later (the incubation period for germs), we were in the emergency room with our son, who was puking up neon green fluid. We didn't think that was normal, so we took him to the professionals.
Would you believe that my coat and his, and my purse, received the full force of the voms upon entering the ER? A passer-by took one look at me and exclaimed, "You need HELP!"
Yes I do, lady - truer words have never been spoken.
We were triaged and taken right to an exam room - the one good thing could come from such an entrance. Then followed a 5-hour stint of poking, prodding and testing the poor boy to find out what was happening in his little body.
On Monday, our son seemed to be back to health, so I decided to go in to work a couple of hours, followed by some grocery shopping and essential errands. I was hoping this would curtail any more errands this week. I had no idea what was in store for us.
Tuesday morning dawned with the worst headache of my life. I shlepped downstairs by 9:30 to find three other family members who were also sick. And the puke-splattered couch cushions removed and set on the floor. And several plastic-lined receptacles placed strategically around the living room. Oh yeah. We were deep into it! Our living room looked like a war zone.
We spent the next two days watching Netflix, running back and forth to the bathroom, and drinking water. And running back to the bathroom. And drinking more water. My favorite task (you don't really believe me, do you?) is gathering throw blankets, clothing and pillows that have received a coating of stomach contents. They are all sealed in plastic bags, waiting for me to get well enough to start the laundry. The pile was mounting. Mountaining, really. My head felt like it was going to explode when I stood up, so all that laundry just had to wait.
On the upside of things, we had a couple days of rest. I've had plenty of time to hold and snuggle my kids without having to rush off anywhere. It was all I could do to shuffle out to the kitchen for water, deliver it, and flop back onto the couch.
Sometimes it seems like God just stops me in my tracks. I imagine him saying something like, "Hang on there, lady - it's time to stop. Just stop. Stop trying to do everything. If it takes a stomach virus to slow you down, so be it!"
The best part of last week was when the cavalry arrived!
When I realized that we couldn't get out of the house and we needed basic sick people supplies, I dialed out for help. My in-laws have come bearing bags of saltines, popsicles, jell-o and soup. Hooray! We were saved! It's so nice to have family living nearby.
I was ready to hang a "quarantine" flag on the front door.
I had considered sticking my broom out the door to gather the bags and prevent them from breathing in any of our germs, but they came in and dropped them off. They were holding their breath, but who can blame them? I would've done the same. No one wants this.
After serving popsicles and Jell-o to anyone who could sit up, I wolfed down two bowls of chicken noodle soup. "Unbelievable!," my green-tinged husband exclaimed, "How can you possibly eat while feeling like this?!?
And then...
I revealed one of my ultra-secret mom powers:
Eating while nauseous.
Oh yeah! Three full-term pregnancies with plenty of morning sickness has enabled me to eat, even when nauseous. This is what I did for the first twelve weeks (or more) with each pregnancy. I knew I had to eat in order to help the baby grow, so I gritted my teeth and ate crackers or soup or whatever I could choke down.
It was the same during our stomach bug epidemic. Granted, I hadn't tossed as many cookies as much as my hubby and kids, but I was able to eat more sooner than anyone else.
I think God gives moms/wives special immunity so we can take care of our families. Would you agree? And it's ultra cool to have a superpower, even if it is eating while nauseous.
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